Primarily a keys player, Daniel Clarke is a veteran musician in Richmond, Virginia, and has toured the world with Mandy Moore, Ryan Adams, Jason Mraz, Rachel Yamagata and the Dixie Chicks, to name a few. He’s been k.d. lang’s musical righthand man for more than a decade. (I’ve heard k.d. call him “the best musician I know” in front of thousands of people.) In this video Clarke explains his creative process. He plays his way into a rendition of “Deck the Halls”—we recorded this right before Christmas—and shows us around his home studio, full of fabulous things for playing, including a tea set for his daughters.

In a wide ranging conversation, we talk drum machines vs. computers, why lots of “starts” help him make good songs, the importance of playing music like a child, and plenty more.

Find more of his work here: https://spacebombgroup.com/artists/daniel-clarke